Decision Day in Albany: A last-minute legislative cram could go into overtime

Hans Pennink / AP PhotoSenate Chamber during a session of the New York state Senate at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on Monday.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- State lawmakers faced a long day in the capitol today as leaders looked to wrap up key -- and continuous -- issues involving property taxes, New York City rent controls and same-sex marriage.

As of this morning, Senate Republicans went into their 10 a.m. private conference with the intention of tackling a combination of outstanding economic issues first and saving talk about same-sex marriage for later in the day.

Still, many expected all votes to be cast by the end of today or early Thursday morning.

First up is what lawmakers, staff and reporters are calling the "big ugly": an omnibus bill that ties together a 2 percent property tax cap, expands rent control eligibility for some New York City tenants, and raises tuition at public universities by $300 a year for the next three years.

Legislative staff stayed through Tuesday night redrafting that huge bill, which had yet to be printed or made public as of 10 a.m. today.

Both houses are expected to gavel into session at 11 a.m. According to the Senate's calendar, lawmakers will be in session until midnight. For now, they only have eight bills to vote on, a far cry from Monday when they took up more than 200 bills.

That means much of the day will involve protesters, lobbyists and the lawmakers themselves waiting for back-room deals to be struck and for the economic omnibus legislation to be printed.

It remains unclear whether Senate Republicans will bring the same-sex marriage bill to the floor for a vote. But many senators this week -- including those who oppose the bill -- said a vote was likely. Some Republicans are working on amending the bill so that religious institutions would have more protections if they refused to sanction or participate in gay or lesbian weddings.

"My hope is that they don't make so many exemptions that it's not worth passing," said Becky Clifford, of Clay, who eloped with her partner, Terri, nearly a year ago but is considering another ceremony if the bill were to pass.

Opponents remained vigilant in their pressure to keep the issue from coming up for a vote. The state's Conservative Party issued a two-sentence statement this morning:

"Once again, we urge you to stand strong for traditional marriage and not put a bill on the floor," party chairman Michael Long wrote. "Any bill that will harm our state should not be allowed a vote." In Albany, as Republican senators filed into their conference this morning, protesters against same-sex marriage prayed and sang hymns.

The Assembly passed Gov. Andrew Cuomo's bill 80-63 last week, legislation that already protects religious groups and leaders from lawsuits for refusing to participate in any gay marriages.

So far, 31 senators have said publicly they support that bill. It would take 32 votes to pass.